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John Q. Public

SEE SYNONYMS FOR John Q. Public

noun

the average or typical U.S. citizen: an entertainment aimed at Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public.

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of John Q. Public

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Words nearby John Q. Public

John o'Groats, John o'Groat's House, John Paul I, John Paul II, John Paul II, Pope, John Q. Public, Johns, Johnson, Johnson, Andrew, Johnson City, Johnsonese
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Idioms and Phrases with John Q. Public

John Q. Public

see under John Doe.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.